See a Psychiatrist at a Government Hospital in Pakistan, and Helplines to Call
Mental health help in Pakistan: crisis numbers, the Umang helpline, and how to see a psychiatrist at PIMH Lahore, Civil Hospital Karachi or PIMS Islamabad.
If someone is in danger right now, call 1122 for an ambulance, or 112 from a mobile, or 15 for police. To talk to someone, Umang's helpline on 0311-7786264 is the crisis contact the World Health Organization lists for Pakistan. To see a psychiatrist free or at low cost, go to the psychiatry OPD of a government teaching hospital, or to the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore, whose emergency runs 24 hours with free medicines.
Asking for help with your mind is no different from asking for help with your heart or your kidneys. Every big public hospital we checked has a psychiatry department. Most people simply do not know where the door is. We read the official pages of the main hospitals on 2 October 2026 and list the numbers and timings below.
Call 1122 or 15 first if someone is in danger
If a person may hurt themselves or someone else, treat it as an emergency. Call 1122 or 112 for an ambulance, or 15 for police. Stay with the person, keep them talking, and take them to the nearest hospital emergency department.
The World Health Organization's regional office lists these as Pakistan's emergency numbers on its mental health support pages: 1122 or 112 from mobile phones for an ambulance, and 15 for police. Where Rescue 1122 runs, its crews take patients to the nearest suitable hospital.
You do not need an appointment to go to a hospital emergency department. Keep a full list of emergency and helpline numbers saved on your phone before you need them.
Mental health helplines in Pakistan you can call today
The helpline WHO lists for suicide crisis support in Pakistan is Umang, on 0311-7786264. WHO lists it as open 24 hours. In Punjab, the provincial health helpline 1033 can tell you where the nearest government psychiatry service is.
| Who | Number | When |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulance | 1122, or 112 from a mobile | 24 hours |
| Police | 15 | 24 hours |
| Umang mental health helpline | 0311-7786264 | 24 hours, as WHO lists it |
| Punjab Institute of Mental Health, Lahore | 042-99203776, 042-99203777 | Emergency 24 hours |
| Punjab health helpline | 1033 | Health advice and directions |
| Balochistan Institute of Psychiatry, Quetta | 081-9213093 | 10 am to 1 pm, Monday to Saturday, as WHO lists it |
A helpline is a first step, not treatment. The person on the phone can listen, calm a crisis and tell you where to go. A diagnosis and medicine need a doctor.
How to see a psychiatrist at a government hospital
Go to a government teaching hospital during OPD hours. Get an OPD slip at the registration counter and ask for the psychiatry clinic. A doctor there will assess you, prescribe if needed and give a follow-up date. Take your CNIC and any old prescriptions.
- Pick a teaching hospital. A district hospital may not have a psychiatrist every day. Teaching hospitals linked to medical colleges have full psychiatry departments.
- Go early on a weekday. Psychiatry OPDs usually run in the morning. Civil Hospital Karachi's runs 8 am to 2 pm, Monday to Saturday.
- Get the OPD slip. Ask the registration counter for the psychiatry or mental health clinic.
- Take a family member if you can. They can describe changes you may not notice, such as sleep, eating or mood.
- Keep the prescription and follow-up date. Many conditions need weeks of medicine before they improve. Do not stop suddenly without asking the doctor.
Before you start private treatment, you can check the doctor's PMDC registration. A psychiatrist is a registered medical doctor. Faith healers and unregistered "therapists" are not.
Government psychiatry services in each big city
Lahore has the Punjab Institute of Mental Health. Karachi has the psychiatry department at Civil Hospital. Islamabad has PIMS, and Rawalpindi has the Institute of Psychiatry at Benazir Bhutto Hospital. Quetta has its own psychiatry institute.
- Lahore, Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH): Shadman-II, Jail Road. Its emergency department is staffed round the clock by a consultant psychiatrist and three emergency medical officers. PIMH says medicines in emergency are free. It also has an outdoor (OPD) clinic, wards, a rehabilitation centre and an addiction unit. Phone 042-99203776 to 77.
- Karachi, Civil Hospital psychiatry department: inpatient, outpatient and acute care for adults, teenagers and children. OPD is Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 2 pm, and closed on Sunday.
- Islamabad, PIMS: PIMS lists a psychiatry department. Its OPD hours are 8 am to 2 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm, and the hospital runs 24 hours. Exchange 051-9261170 to 79, helpline 051-9071711.
- Rawalpindi, Benazir Bhutto Hospital: the Institute of Psychiatry of Rawalpindi Medical University is a WHO collaborating centre. More on Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi.
- Quetta, Balochistan Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences: WHO lists a hotline on 081-9213093.
Indus Hospital in Karachi also runs a free adult psychosocial service with psychological care and social support. SIUT in Karachi lists a psychiatry department among its free services.
Signs it is time to see a doctor
See a doctor if low mood, fear or strange thoughts last more than two weeks, or stop you working, studying or sleeping. Get help the same day if someone talks about ending their life or cannot look after themselves.
The PIMH information desk explains that mental illness usually comes from a mix of biological, psychological and environmental causes. It is not weakness and it is not a curse. Pakistan's old Lunacy Act of 1912 was replaced by the Mental Health Ordinance in 2001.
Common reasons people go: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, drug or alcohol addiction, memory loss in the elderly, and severe mood swings. All of these are treatable, and many people recover fully.
Common questions
Is there a free mental health helpline in Pakistan?
Yes. Umang's helpline on 0311-7786264 is the crisis contact the World Health Organization lists for Pakistan, open 24 hours. Normal call charges may apply.
Is psychiatric treatment free at government hospitals?
Costs differ by hospital. PIMH Lahore says its emergency medicines are free. Ask at the counter about any charge for tests or medicines before you start.
What are PIMH Lahore's phone numbers?
042-99203776 and 042-99203777 for the main exchange, and 042-99203775. The address is Shadman-II, Jail Road, Lahore.
When is the Civil Hospital Karachi psychiatry OPD open?
Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 2 pm. It is closed on Sunday.
Do I need a referral to see a government psychiatrist?
We found no referral rule on the hospital pages we read. Get an OPD slip at registration and ask for the psychiatry clinic.
What should I do if a friend talks about suicide?
Take it seriously. Stay with them, listen without judging, remove anything dangerous nearby, and call 1122 or take them to an emergency department. Umang's 0311-7786264 can also guide you.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 2 October 2026. We read the emergency, contact, history and FAQ pages of the Punjab Institute of Mental Health; the psychiatry department page of Civil Hospital Karachi on chk.gov.pk; the FAQ, departments and contact pages of PIMS on pims.gov.pk; the World Health Organization regional office's mental health support pages for Pakistan; and Punjab's health department homepage for the 1033 line. Civil Hospital Karachi's page shows two different psychiatry numbers, 021-99215740 and 021-99521740, so we left both out of the table; call the hospital exchange instead. The Quetta hotline and the Umang hours are as WHO lists them; we did not call them.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
